Anxiety has been defined as an apprehension or concern regarding some future event. Most, if not all, people occasionally suffer some symptoms of anxiety in response to appropriate stimuli. In some individuals, these feelings of anxiety or panic in response to the everyday pressures of life can be overwhelming, rendering the individual an unproductive member of society. Whereas individual group counseling represents the preferred primary mode of therapy, the use of chemotherapeutic agents has proven to be a useful adjunct in the treatment of anxiety, enabling a seriously afflicted individual to regain productive status while undergoing concurrent psychotherapy.
Compounds of the class of benzodizepines are currently the therapeutic agents of choice in the treatment of anxiety. In particular, chlordiazepoxide, diazepam and oxazepam are commonly used. However, this class of compounds has a great potential for misuse, particularly among the class of patients undergoing therapy. Moreover, the benzodiazopines generally possess undesired sedative effects and detracting interactions with other drugs, including for example, alcohol.
Buspirone, a recently developed non-benzodiazepine antianxiety agent, is reported to be largely free of these undesirable characteristics. However, it also suffers certain drawbacks. More particularly, Buspirone is thought to affect dopamine receptors with the resultant manifold display of side effects. Applicants have discovered a class of novel glutarimide antianxiety agents that are generally free from the side effects of Buspirone and the benzodiazepines.